Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, and Jim Neidhart are on commentary, beginning a new taping cycle in Portland, Maine. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the taping took place on July 30 and drew a crowd of 7,756 fans.
A replay of Jake Roberts’ heel turn on Superstars is shown.
Opening Contest: Irwin R. Schyster (10-0-2) pins Sonny Blaze after the Write Off at 1:55:
In the split screen, Greg Valentine declares that he will beat IRS with the figure-four at SummerSlam. IRS does not let Blaze breathe, staying right on top of the jobber before he finishes with the Write Off. Monsoon is no fan of the IRS character, admitting after the match that he did not pay any attention to it.
The Dragon (15-0) pins Bob Bradley after the flying body press at 1:50:
The bout provides an opportunity for the announcers to talk about the six-man tag team match at SummerSlam where the Dragon will team with the Texas Tornado and the British Bulldog to face Power & Glory and the Warlord. Sometimes Bradley got to throw in a few moves but this squash is not one of them as Steamboat picks him apart with a thrust kick, a flying chop, and the flying body press.
Lord Alfred Hayes’ Special Report recaps Heenan’s announcement at the end of the last Wrestling Challenge episode about Ric Flair’s contractual status. Heenan joins Hayes, repeating that Flair has challenged Hulk Hogan on numerous occasions and that Hogan has been ducking him.
The Big Bossman (26-0-1) beats Jim McPherson after the Bossman Slam at 1:39:
McPherson was a Larry Sharpe trainee, breaking into the business in 1988. He did some enhancement work for the WWF in 1989 and 1990, as well as for the USWA.
The Mountie and Jimmy Hart argue in the split screen that they are not concerned about going to jail at SummerSlam. The Bossman, who is wearing a bandage on his left hand, pinballs McPherson between the buckles to set up the finish. After the bell, the Bossman handcuffs McPherson to the ropes and runs to the locker room.
Non-Title Match: The Nasty Boys (WWF Tag Team Champions w/Jimmy Hart) (18-2) defeat Mark Thomas & Ross Greenberg when Jerry Sags pins Thomas after the Trip to Nastyville at 3:14:
Thomas was a longtime WWF enhancement talent, beginning his work for the company in 1989.
Greenberg was trained by Mario Mancini. He was relatively new to the industry, and this was his first televised squash in the WWF.
The Legion of Doom do an insert promo where they proclaim that they will be holding the tag team titles in a week’s time. Sags’ elbow must be better as the Nasties win their fifth straight match with the Trip to Nastyville.
Sid Justice is this week’s guest on the Barber Shop. Sid promises to be impartial as a referee at SummerSlam and swears that justice will be served.
Okerlund does the SummerSlam Report. Sergeant Slaughter, General Adnan, and Colonel Mustafa promise to stalk and destroy Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior. Hogan rebuts that he and the Warrior have been “hanging and banging” to make sure they have the tools to win the “Match Made in Hell.” Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect and Coach promise that Bret Hart will fall short regardless of how good of a wrestler as he is. Bret fires back that he will excellently execute the champion. Ted DiBiase and Sensational Sherri tell Virgil that he needs to cancel his victory party atop the World Trade Center. Virgil promises that DiBiase will be the one in the gutter when SummerSlam is over.
The Bushwhackers (w/Andre the Giant) (14-2) defeat Brian Donahue & Kerry Davis when Luke pins Donahue after the double stomachbreaker at 2:50:
Trained by Mark Tendler, Donahue spent the first half of 1991 doing some enhancement talent work for Herb Abrams’ UWF.
The jobbers get tired of the Bushwhackers having fun with Andre the Giant, so they attack them, but the Bushwhackers knock them to the floor in front of Andre and the terrified jobbers rush back into the ring. In the split screen, the Bushwhackers and Andre promise to take down the Natural Disasters at SummerSlam. Monsoon is skeptical of that, arguing that it is going to take more than a Bushwhacker Battering Ram to knock down Earthquake and Typhoon at Madison Square Garden. The Bushwhackers flatten Donahue with that Battering Ram, though, and then use the double stomachbreaker to prevail.
Tune in next week to see Ted DiBiase, the British Bulldog, and the Legion of Doom in action! Also, Sergeant Slaughter and his allies will be guests on the Barber Shop!
The Last Word: While the Barber Shop segment was dull, but it did provide some original content, something that Wrestling Challenge has been missing as of late. As expected, the squashes keep everyone’s momentum up heading into SummerSlam at the end of the month.
Here is a recap of the WWF’s house show circuit in the middle of August, courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:
Davenport, Iowa – Palmer Auditorium – August 12, 1991 (3,000): Colonel Mustafa beat Koko B. Ware…Hercules pinned Typhoon…Irwin R. Schyster defeated Greg Valentine…Bret Hart beat the Barbarian…The Bushwhackers defeated the Orient Express when Butch pinned Kato…Ted DiBiase pinned Virgil after Sensational Sherri interfered…Hacksaw Jim Duggan beat Sergeant Slaughter in a bootcamp match.
Montreal, Quebec, Canada – The Forum – August 16, 1991 (6,100): Koko B. Ware pinned the Brooklyn Brawler…Greg Valentine pinned Colonel Mustafa…The Natural Disasters beat the Bushwhackers (w/Andre the Giant)…Tito Santana pinned Hercules…The Big Bossman pinned Jacques Rougeau with a roll up as Rougeau argued with guest referee Dino Bravo. After the bell, the Natural Disasters came out and confronted Bravo until the Bossman made the save…Ted DiBiase & Irwin R. Schyster defeated Bret Hart & Virgil…The Ultimate Warrior beat the Undertaker in a body bag match at 15:07.
Landover, Maryland – The Capital Centre – August 17, 1991 (6,000): The Berzerker beat Jimmy Snuka…The Dragon defeated the Barbarian…The Warlord pinned the Texas Tornado with the Flair pin…Hacksaw Jim Duggan defeated Bob Bradley…Jerry Sags beat Marty Jannetty…The British Bulldog beat Smash (substituting for Mr. Perfect)…The Natural Disasters & the Mountie beat the Legion of Doom & the Big Bossman when the Mountie pinned the Bossman after using the shock stick…WWF Champion Hulk Hogan beat Sergeant Slaughter in a match where Randy Savage was the guest referee.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada – Maple Leaf Gardens – August 18, 1991 (5,000): Tito Santana wrestled Irwin R. Schyster to a time-limit draw…Ted DiBiase pinned Virgil…The Natural Disasters defeated the Bushwhackers (w/Andre the Giant)…The Dragon pinned the Barbarian…WWF Champion Hulk Hogan pinned Sergeant Slaughter in a match where Randy Savage was the guest referee…Koko B. Ware beat Kato…Bret Hart defeated the Warlord via disqualification…The Texas Tornado beat Hercules (substituting for Dino Bravo)…The Big Bossman pinned Jacques Rougeau.
Backstage News*: Former WWWF Champion Superstar Billy Graham has filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging that they forced him to take steroids. This let to Entertainment Tonight launching a piece about steroids in pro wrestling. Graham’s legal team is looking for $1.25 million, but the WWF is in no position to negotiate, not wanting to encourage other lawsuits or any hint that they have been guilty of that type of behavior. The WWF responded to the lawsuit by announcing that they will be using the Los Angeles-based CDT to administer their drug testing program.
*The Genius is going to be replacing Coach as a manager for the Beverly Brothers, which was done as a favor to Randy Savage.
*In injury news, Jake Roberts is nursing a back injury and will not return to the ring for a few months.
*Backstage news is provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for August 26.
Up Next: Prime Time Wrestling: SummerSlam Spectacular Special!